Clarinet Takeover
by Rosetta Starfire Stone
Summary: This is a story I wrote for some friends in the MB. Basicly, the world is ran by clarinet players and trumpet players try to takeover the world.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

How was I supposed to know it was going to happen? It was a joke, a game among the Marching Band and the other Clarinets. No one knew it was actually going to happen. I mean, did anyone really see Mike and Amanda following up on their plan. How could anyone tell that they had the power, not only to take on the US Government, but the entire world? A surprise attach launched by over 200,000,000 clarinets and followers. It was in the paper for weeks.

It happened so fast, a year after Amanda graduated and two years after Mike. I was just finishing up my junior year of school, surviving the wrath of Mr. Skov, when a letter arrived in the mail. It was from Amanda and she wrote to say it was going to happen. I pushed it aside, thinking it was a joke, and prepared for my senior year and collage. Maria went to join them, and the others soon followed. I joined up in the cause soon afterwards myself.

The planning itself was a change of pace. I sat in a room with Amanda, Mike, and Maria. We planned for months on what to do. It was a foolproof plan, and the world were the fools forever thinking they had a chance. Then on March 30th, a few days after my 18th birthday, we attached the White House. A full raid of Clarinet Bazooka's and Missiles. The President didn't stand a chance. It took him too much of a surprise to even resist.

Even though they were so surprised they still tried to fend us off. It lasted for a week before they finally surrendered to us. A year later England fell. Soon after that, everyone else crumbled and the Clarinets had complete control. Mike became King, Amanda Empress, and Maria Queen on England. Our new world had only begun. We were dictators according to our new leaders and were about to take un new rolls for the new world. Andy became the Gunning Sergeant and Corey our Fashion Designer. But eventually Corey became our main general, one because he could stay with Andy and two because he didn't like his other role, which was understandable enough. Stephanie and Katie teamed up with their Foreign Peacemaker and Researcher positions. My buddy Lauren built a stage and preformed for us. I myself was the New Law Enforcer.

We then separated the globe. Like I said earlier, Maria ruled England. Mike stayed in Europe and Amanda had Asia to keep her happy. Katie and Stephanie had Japan because of its advance technology. The boys took Africa. Lauren wanted Australia and I got North America. Mike then went to work and built us our new home and headquarters. It was shaped as a clarinet and every key was either a home or room. I now live happily in my F# Key House.

And that leads me to now. I'm twenty-three years old and we've had complete control since. Our closest ally are the Flutes and the Low Winds are the best undercover agents we could have.

Of course we still have our rebels. The Trumpets have done multiple attempts; they even tried to assassinate Amanda. The ones I have caught are hanging upside down in my dungeon. Its nice to have the power to take care of scrums like them. I have the most fun torturing Broberg and Feeney. They talk in their sleep about how they underestimated us. I still haven't caught the Cornick Brothers.

Other sections like the Honor Guard and Color Guard have become our slaves. They are really loyal and never caused many problems. Randa became my new roommate and helps me around my house. We have become close friends for such harshness.

Yes, life in my clarinet home is good. The place has everything we've ever dreamed of. Including Stephanie's green jello pool in the bell of the instrument bell. We used it once and learned that swimming in jello is hard. We take care of each other and fight with each other. We are just like any normal family. Well, any normal family that rules the world.

My little region of America is going well. The US, or now called Flipper, is running smoothly. The people like me and are seemly happy that I am ruler. I'm the first female president, so to speak if Flipper still was a democracy. They live their lives like nothing was new, and at that point, it wasn't. The old man who was last President was terrible. An alcoholic man who couldn't even tie his own shoes, and the only reason he was at that position was because of his father.

We've tried our hardest to keep everyone happy. Clarinets may run this new world, but it doesn't mean we are horrible people. It's not our nature.

This story starts off with me taking a trip to Asia to visit Amanda. I haven't seen her in awhile and it would be nice to visit. I mean, after all, she is the reason why I am able to watch my Mighty Ducks play whenever I want.

Besides her house in the clarinet tower, Amanda has built herself a palace in China where she now reigns. I stood on the steps of the massive monument and looked around. She sure went out on this place. The palace was of a bright red and gold and it was huge. The courtyard was a garden of the most rare flowers in the whole world and a couple of weeds. My favorite is the Azaleas that were imported from Japan as a gift from the girls.

I sighed happily and entered Amanda's second home. The inside of the palace had sort of an ancient texture making me feel like I was traveling back in time. I entered the main hall and made my way up to the throne where Amanda herself sat.

It was wonderful to see her again. She was sitting there in a relax stage reading one of her many books. She looked up at and a huge smile crossed her face. A smile appeared on mine as well.

"Cheryl! I'm so glad you're here!" She called down to me.

I bowed down on one knee and replied. "It is good to see you too, Your Highness."

I smiled as I heard her sigh loudly.

"Cheryl, you don't have to treat me with so much respect!"

I raised my head and grinned at her.

"I know, but its fun to tease."

"Then arise and talk to me as an equal."

"'Arise? That's new."

"Sorry, it's a habit of mine. I've seen enough people that I have to be formal with that its now second nature."

I laughed and shook my head while I stood up. I watched as she stood up herself. Amanda was wearing a long red robe that was trimmed with gold. The sleeves were so long that it covered her hands. On the back bore the new worlds quest, a golden clarinet. Her shoulder length red hair was pulled back into a single ponytail. She descended down the steps that separated her throne from me with a graceful glide. When she reached the bottom we shook hands and headed to another room.

This room was her personal library. The walls were covered with ceiling high wooden bookcases filled with books. The books that couldn't fit on the shelves were stacked in neat piles nearby; multiple tables with chairs were placed around the room. Amanda sat in one chair and motioned me to the next. I sat down across from her and smiled.

"So what's new at your end Empress." I asked smiling.

"Same old, same old, running the world is a hard business"

"I bet. Anything alarming I should know about."

"Well, now that you mention it, a few days ago my guards detected a Trumpeter running away from my palace."

A Trumpeter is the organization that Cornick and his brother ran.

"Hem. That only means that there is another attempting assassination. Is Mike and Maria well?"

"Yes I spoke with them recently. Its only me this time." She said calmly.

I blinked at her and raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"For someone whose life is in danger, you sure are calm."

She shrugged.

"I'm use to it. So, will you protect me?"

"Of course!" I stood up and bowed. "I will send word for the others for help"

"Leaving so soon?"

"I must, I have to protect you. Its my duty, not only as The Law Enforcer, but as a former clarinet."

I bowed once again and turned to leave the room.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Preparing to the protection of Amanda is no small fleet. It's a long and tiring job. When I left Amanda's palace I went straight to my F# key house and right to work.

My house is so cool. You have to enter the Clarinet Tower through the bell of the instrument. Then you take an elevator that ran all the way to the top. So people don't have their homes on the mouth piece, its more our watch tower. The tower has twenty floors, but the tower itself is the tallest building in the world. My home is on the 5th floor so I wasn't waiting too long in the elevator. Finally the elevator stopped and I got out. I found myself face to face with a wooden door that separated me from my home. I pulled out the key and let myself in. When I entered I found Randa sitting on the couch watching a movie.

My house itself is decorated in a light sky blue with a huge California attitude. The bathroom was red with roses and cinnamon stuff.

When I entered, Randa turned around and watched me.

"I have a lot of work to do and I need your help." I explained. "Can you make me a snack and get me my record book. I'll be in the study."

"Of course Cheryl."

With that Randa left to do what she was told and I went into my office. Unlike the rest of the house, my office was a dull gray so I was always focused. I sat down at my desk, turned my laptop on, and waited for Sydney. I hope she didn't take too long; I do have a lot of work to do and with very little time to spare. Amanda's life was in danger and I need to keep her safe.

I didn't have to wait long. Randa came in with my snack and my record book right away. Ah my record book. It is called that because it holds all pieces of information that I needed. I mean every little piece of information, including the shoe size of some people.

"Thanks Randa."

She shrugged and left me to my work. Knowing I didn't have time to spare I set right to work. The first thing I did was contact Cat Orecchia. She promised to leave for China right away. Then I called the rest of the clarinets. I explained the situation and they all promised to meet me back at Amanda's.

After the easy part was done, I opened up the record book. I needed to find out who in the Trumpeters was attacking Amanda. I find that's going to be hard since I don't know anything about this person. I first went though my files for anyone who might be in the area.

"Lets see…it cant be Frank because he's still a rookie. Julie is a good choice but they said it was a boy. The Cornick brothers are in another area. Oh my. Its Braden!"

"Not bad Filippini." Someone said in the shadows.

I jumped up and reached for my handgun.

"Don't even think about it."

I moved my hand away and looked in the shadows. I could feel the fear begin to build up inside and I held my guard up.

"Who's there?"

A person stepped out into the light and looked at me. I found myself glaring back. The person was actually Braden Moglar, a trumpet player a year older than me. He smiled at me and I noticed he had some teeth missing.

"Lose something?"

"I went to take care of your friend Lauren and she punched me in the face."

"Really? Well I must thank her for that."

"Shut up!"

He went towards me in a fit of anger. I kicked my chair at him. He turned to move out of the way but got hit anyways. He was flipped into the chair and slid to the ground.

"Still quite stupid I see."

I walked up to him and grabbed him by the ankle. I dragged him out of my office into the living room. I tied him up to one of the chairs. Randa came out and stared at him.

"You're not tying him tight enough."

"I know."

"He's going to escape."

"I know."

"Then why..."

"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing. Trust me on it."

"If you say so."

She left the room and I went back to my office. I started to pack some things for the trip back to Asia. When I was finished I sat back down and waited. A screen that showed what I needed was on.

"How long is he going to be knocked out for?" I wondered out loud.

A few hours later I heard a rustle and the door opening and closing. I looked at the screen on my desk and watched him leave my house and then the Tower all together. I myself stood up and left the Tower too. Outside the Tower was my limo. A long black ride that had everything you ever wanted. A TV, surround sound system, and a mini-bar filled with sodas because I don't like alcohol. The seats are made out of silky cotton because I find leather too flashy and too hot in the summer time.

The limo's doors opened and I got in. With some simple instructions the car pulled away and left for the airport again. I got on the place and flew back to China.

When the plane landed I took a deep breath. As much as I love this job, protecting the leaders of the world is so draining. Why must so many people want to kill them? Oh yeah, they're jealous of us.

I smiled and got off the plane. Waiting for me was a young woman. I remember her well from the past. Except this time there was no glasses or braces. She smiled and waved to me. I noticed her hand was bandage up.

"Lauren! How are you?"

"Good, my hand is sore though."

"Yeah, but I like the make-over that you gave Braden."

"Eh, it was worth it. Guess what!"

"What?"

"I'm teaching."

"Really? What?"

She looked at me with a smirk.

"Economics of course."

"Economics…. good class."

"Very good."

The two of us laughed as we headed out of the airport. Her own limo waited for us. I asked her how she got it over the ocean. She smiled.

"You would be surprise of what Stoner and Brooks can do."

The car pulled away and in twenty minutes I was back at the palace. This time her guards heavily guarded it. Clarinet Rifles were in long rows pointed outward. I'm glad people don't dilly-dawdle like in the old world.

We walked into the main hall and I watched as a group of people surrounded Amanda and were in deep conversation.

"Its not nice to talk about me when I cant defend myself." I called out.

"Cheryl!"

The group ran over to me and I was in a circle of the Clarinets. Each one was a close friend of mine. They knew me and I knew them. Sweet and fun going Katie Stone. Smart and funny Stephanie Brooks. Strong and kind Corey McBride. Smart yet ditzy Andy Ness. Second in Command and a good friend of mine Maria Weinhandl. And then there was the other leader of us, and a good one at that, Mike Chamberlain.

"Its good to see you all together again."

"Yes we must meet on better terms though." Commented Katie. "The last time we got together was when someone wanted to kill Maria."

"Eh, you use with what you get."

The others agreed with that and we headed out of the hall to another room. This room was specially designed for this group. It was a round table with chairs to go with it. At each spot was a laptop, a pad of paper with a pen, and a cup holder. At one end of the room was a large screen that showed our reflections at the moment.

Mike and Amanda sat in their chairs that faced the screen and the rest of us sat in our according seats. Mike raised a hand and began to speak.

"I hope you all realize what is going on."

"Yes, King Arthur! What are we going to do?" Andy called out in a mocking tone of fear.

"We are your Knights of the Round Table, lead us oh great one!" Corey added on.

"I am not King Arthur, you two. I am a king, but not that one."

"Yeah, King Arthur pulled the sword out of the stone. Mike hasn't done that yet." Stephanie said, full of knowledge.

I smiled at Lauren who in turn threw her pen at me.

"Sick!" She screamed at me.

"Sorry." I called back as I tossed the pen back.

"We don't have time for this you two." Mike reminded us dangerously.

We both apologized but I still smiled.

"You thought it too."

Lauren chose not to answer that. I think that was a wise choice. Mike then began to start the meeting.

"Alright, as we all are aware of, someone wants to kill Amanda and we have reason to believe it is one of the Trumpeters."

"Braden at that."

"Yes...what?"

"It's Braden. I figured that out before coming here. Actually he was at my place, that's how I knew about Laurens sore hand."

"Your fast." Stoner said with a pleased look.

"Yes, and that piece of information with help us later." Maria said looking at Amanda. "By the way, did you catch him?"

"Yeah, but he got away."

"I bet you let him go." Andy muttered under his breath.

"And that means what?"

"It's your one weakness! You always capture him or another one and then you let them go."

"I have my reasons Andy, so back off."

"No! Its your stupid feelings for Brian Cornick!"

"I got over him along time ago! Now back down Andy, you are out of Line!"

Everyone got quiet after that. I glared at Andy viciously. Mike then spoke.

"Have a plan?"

I sighed and smiled.

"Yes...First..."


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"First we are all going to leave here in our small groups. Act like everything is normal and a idiot named Braden doesn't want to kill Amanda." I began looking around the table.

"Thanks Cheryl." Amanda commented to me with a smirk.

"It will make sense in the end. Have…"

"Patience? That's a laugh." Mike said, smiling for the first time.

"Oh shut up." Amanda snapped.

"Anyways! Back to the plan. Second, we are going to send in the three best Low Winds Agents. I say Cat, Bridget, and Julie..."

"That's the new agent! Cheryl that's stupid!" Exclaimed Lauren almost jumping out of her seat.

"Excuse me? She is the top in her class and hasn't been on the field yet..."

"This mission is not for armatures! You're endangering Amanda's life!"

"I know what I'm doing! It would be a great first job and I think she will..."

"She'll blotch it up."

"CAN I SAY ONE SENTENCE WITHOUT BEING INTERRUPTED?"

The room got silent again. Andy was the first to speak.

"Was that you're one?"

"ANDY" Screamed the other Clarinets to the ditzy boy and Mike added. "Give me thirty push-ups!"

"Why?"

"Because you are a ditz!"

That earned a laugh from the others as we watched Andy do the push- ups. The entire time he was yelling at Corey who was laughing the most.

Once that was over with, I continued the plan, hopefully not to be interrupted again.

"I still want Julie in. Third, after the three arrive, I want all the security notches to be dropped to their original standards." I paused at that.

The look I got was expected. The rest of the Clarinets stared at me like I had a second head or a third eye. Amanda was the first to un-stick her mouth.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Then Lauren is right. You are crazy."

I lightly laughed.

"Don't worry. I have the entire thing arranged so perfectly that it will work."

"Even the most perfect plans go wrong." Maria said wisely.

I smiled at the Queen.

"That's why I have three backup plans too."

"Three?"

"She's good."

"Then can I continue?"

They all nod and motion with their hands for me to go on.

"Thanks." I take another deep breath and continue.

"Then, if everything else works, I'll come back. I'll say that I had something to discuss and stay here."

"What if Braden comes back before that?" Questioned Stephanie with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, part to my backpack plan, if that happens then..."

"Then we panic!" Corey called suddenly out receiving glares from the others.

"What have I said about interruptions!' I snapped at the Fashion Boy.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

A pen went flying across the table and struck him in the head. We all turned and stared at Katie who had her arm extended.

"Richie Stoner isn't that innocent is she." I said with a smile.

"Don't call me that!"

"But its true!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes." I started to say before Mike interrupted me.

"Ladies, we don't have time for this." He reminded us.

"Right, Amanda could get attacked at any moment."

"Thanks." Amanda said sarcastically.

"Can I continue or not?" I asked loudly looking around the table.

"Please."

"Yes, it'll shut up Andy."

"Hey!" Andy complained.

The girls giggled at his face.

"Anyways!" I said loudly again, making them shut up. "If Braden shows up early then Amanda escape through the back way while Cat distracts him."

"Okay." Amanda says, trying to think of the 'back way' in her house. I pulled out a map of the palace and showed her the secret door in the kitchen.

"Oh yeah! You sure are smart Cheryl."

"Thanks, now if Braden doesn't come before me we are good. While I'm here, I'll start building a trap."

"A trap?" Katie questioned.

I sighed and counted to ten. A hand rose up to rub my head. Boy, was I getting a headache.

"Yes Katie, a trap. It will put a tracking device on Braden leading us back to the Trumpeters and to the Cornick brothers."

"Then we go in and capture the rest." Corey finished for me.

"That's why you let Braden go."

I smiled at Andy.

"Yeah, I've decided to capture them all."

"I'm sorry Cheryl."

"Its okay."

"Well if that's if for now, then I hereby end this meeting. You're all dismissed." Mike said standing up and leaving.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

As we watched Mike leave the room, I took another deep sigh. That meeting took over two hours. That's stupid; I was interrupted way too much. Oh well, I guess that's what's expected when you put the nine top leaders in the world together. Especially Clarinet players, because we know each other quite well.

Lauren looked over at me and smiled.

"I'm not planning to leave until tomorrow morning. Want to get some dinner."

I looked over at her and nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

At that point all the other Clarinet players left the room, leaving me with the performer. She stared at me and laughed.

"I haven't seen you in so long Cheryl, and I realized that we have so much catching up to do."

"Yeah? Like what?" I asked as we left the room.

"Like the fact that I'm engaged." She started with a smile.

"What?" I stared at her in disbelief. "When did this happen?"

"It happened a month ago. He brought me to a fancy restaurant and proposed."

"You're actually going to marry Eric Ruggles?" I practically screamed.

She held up her hand to show me the huge diamond ring on her hand. I stood there gapping at the beauty.

"Well, I hope this means that I'm invited. Right?"

"I want you to be my Maid of Honor."

"I would love to."

We hugged, laughed, and cried at the same time. My best friend was getting married! I'm so happy since it took her years to finally tell him she liked him. They started to date that night. That was going to be our senior year of school if we didn't attack.

"Boy we do have a lot to talk about." I said when we were finally able to control our emotions.

She laughed and the two of us left the palace. Her limo pulled up and the driver opened the door for us. I got in first, and she followed. The driver closed the door and got in the driver seat.

"Where to ma'am?" He asked looking in the rear view mirror.

"What are we in the mood for."

"Sushi."

"Okay." She told the driver of the place to go. "Eric hates sushi."

"Really."

"Yeah, one meal he wont eats. Strange."

"Well the thought of fresh dead fish is kind of sick."

"I don't think so."

"Well you have eaten all your life."

"True."

I rolled my eyes at her and laughed.

"Some things never change."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good idea."

She glared at me as the limo pulled in front of the Sushi restaurant. The driver got out and opens the door for us. Lauren got out and was followed by me. The two of us walked into the red building. As we sat down a waiter came up.

"May I take your order?" He asked nastily, not looking up.

Lauren and I looked at each other and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know who you are talking to?" I asked dangerously.

"Do I care?" He said finally looking. But then he realized who we were and panicked.

"Oh, Lady Cheryl, Lady Lauren. I.I am so sorry! I didn't mean."

"Oh shut up!" Lauren snapped. "I'm too hungry to deal with this. I want a Number 3, 7,9, and 11. If the food is good then I will forgive you."

The waiter nodded rapidly and left to get our food.

"Wow, Lauren, you told him."

"Hanging out with you does that."

She smirked at me and I laughed.

"Okay so I'm corrupting. Deal with it."

"I am."

I laughed again and she shook her head. At that time, the waiter came back with our food. The assortments of good made me hungry and I grabbed the chopsticks. Grabbing of bunch of food, I piled it on my plate and prepared to eat.

"Hey, don't I get some?" Lauren asked laughing.

I glared at her and took her some bites out of the trout I had. I noticed that the waiter was still standing there waiting.

"The food is good." I said smiling gently at him.

He let out the breath he was holding and relaxed.

"Would you like anything else?" He asked politely.

"Some drinks please. The finest you have."

He nods again and leaves. Once gone I turned to my engaged friend.

"Okay, spill it. What happened that made you two decide to get married?"

"Well the conversation came up during dinner one night."

"Who asked it?"

"Well, strangely enough, he did."

I know I raised my eyebrow but neither of us said anything.

"We talked for a few hours and as suddenly as he brought it up, he changed the subject."

"Weird."

"Yeah, I thought I said something wrong. I thought he was going to break up with me. We went out to a fancy restaurant and there he popped the question."

"I told you so! After all those years I was right! Ha!"

"You are so weird Cheryl." She said shaking her head.

"Yes but you love me for it."

She rolled her eyes and went back to her food. The waiter came back with our drinks and was hesitating to leave. After convincing him that we were happy, he finally left.

"What have you been up to Cheryl?"

"Besides protecting the three most important leaders from assassination? Nothing really."

"No boyfriend or anything."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"How can I date when I'm never in the same place for more than a week?"

"Its possible."

"Whatever, I'll never date. It's a waste of time."

"Remember when there was a time that we wanted a boyfriend so bad, we said we would date each other?"

"When it was allowed. But only if you were a guy."

"Yeah."

"Boy we were pathetic."

She then used her chopsticks to grab the octopus, that's when I stopped her with mine.

"That's mine." I said dangerously.

"No way! You had more trout than me and that piece of shrimp."

"So, I get the octopus."

This fight would have gone longer but we were interrupted by gunfire in the front of the room. The room broke into a fit of screams as people covered their heads and ducked under their tables.

"This is a stick up! Everyone get on your hands and knees before I blow your brains out! I claim this area in the name of the Trumpeters!" A deep voice yelled over the panicking.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five 

"Oh great, a Trumpeter. What should we do?" Lauren asked in a hushed whisper.

I pulled out a silver cell phone and put it in her hand.

"Call Cat, I'm going to need some serious back up." I said reaching for my gun.

"Wait, I can help too. There's only one."

I looked at her and smiled lightly.

"I wish. There is actually nine. I don't think they would ever go solo on a job like this."

"Nine? Are you sure?"

"One official ring leader, two by his side, two guarding the door and three undercover." I said counting them off my fingers.

"Wow, I didn't know that."

"Believe me. When you spend most of your life chasing these people you learn a lot."

She finally nods to me a small nod. As she starts to call Cat I slipped away and started to look for the Trumpeters. I came to an area where they were mainly standing.

The Ring Leader was a tall built man with jet-black hair and green eyes. A large gun was in his hands and was aimed at the people in the room. Next to him were two girls with similar guns. They were all wearing black cloaks with silver "T" embroidered on the chest near the heart.

Okay, if they were the mains three than the undercover agents must be near by. I looked around the room for the people that stood out. It could be anything from clothes to how they act around the members.

Then I found the little sucker. It was a pudgy man who is kneeing on the ground with his hands up like the others. He looked exactly the same like the others, and it was almost impossible to notice anything difference between them. But I then saw what I was looking for. He was wearing a short black shirt, and when it showed his stomach I could see his gun. Okay, if that is one. Where are the others?

Wait, I think that couple over there is one. They are wearing matching black outfits, a common thing for Trumpeters. Hem. Yeah. I found them, now I just need the forth one.

Oh well. Maybe there was only three this time. I can't seem to find anyone out of the ordinary, and I don't have time to waste. But it just doesn't feel right.

I started to walk slowly up behind the head gunman. Unfortunately I have two left feet, as my fellow clarinets knew. When I was about three feet from one of the female gunman, my foot was caught on the other. I made a silent yelp as I tripped over my feet and smacked into the ground. My gun went flying across the room. I bet Lauren was laughing her head silently off at me.

"Well, well, well." Said a deep and menacing voice above me. "What do we have here?"

I raised my head up and glared at the man above me. He had his gun pointed at my head and the ugliest smirk on his face. The two girls were on either side of him and my gun was across the room. Boy was this an unlucky predicament.

"Trying to play here brat? Get up."

"Make me." I spat at him.

"Fine you little snot head."

He reached down to grab at my hair. I smirked darkly at him. He fell for my trap.

"Idiot." I mumbled.

In one swift movement I was able to grab his wrist in a tight grasp. I gave it a quick twist and there was an ugly snapping noise as the bones broke. He hollered in pain and tried to pull his hand away. I smirked and tighten my grip, making him scream again.

"Weakling. How is it that someone like you is in charge of this mission? The Trumpeters are starting to crumble if this is my opponents now." I said moving my hand to twist his wrist again.

A cold metal barrel touched my head and I loosened my grip. I turned my head slightly to look at the girl.

"Release him or else." She said trying to sound tough.

"Or else what?" I dared. This was fire I was messing with but I did it anyways.

"Or else I blow your head off!"

"Wait don't shot! I know who she is!"

I smirked at this.

"Really? Well who am I?"

"Your that Law Enforcer Cheryl!"

The others gasped.

"The same Cheryl that put some of our best team mates behind bars?"

The two started to whisper excitingly about this capture they had. I guess they must have forgotten about their leader, who I still had in my grasp. I reminded them this by squeezing his wrist again.

"AH!"

"Let him go." A young voice said next to me.

I looked over and saw a teenage boy pointing a small handgun at me. Oh, there's the forth one! He had brown hair and green eyes. A small scar of the letter T was on his left cheek. I let go of the older man's hand and raised my hands.

"You are pathetic." He said disapproving to the two girls and the whimpering man on the ground. "She could have killed you in a moment if you let her."

"Well you saved us so it's okay." One said smiling.

"I can't believe Dan put you in charge, I would be a better leader then you." HE said this with a kick to the older man in the side.

"And you." He said looking down at me. "Stand up and face your fate."

Seeing that this one meant business I got to my feet. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Lauren. She smiled and gave me the thumbs up sigh and nudged her head to the door.

"Freeze! This is the Low Winds! Everyone put their hands up now!" A voice suddenly yelled.

The teen jumped in the air and spun towards the door. Standing in the frame was Cat Orecchia, Amanda's close friend and twenty other men on each side of her. They all had their guns pointed out, with her at the teen's head. She was wearing a blue uniform with a golden clarinet crest on her chest. The traditional wear of such people. The teen panicked and raised his hands. The others followed suite.

"What about the others?" I questioned.

"What others?" Cat asked with a smile.

I watched as three other agents came forward with the other undercover agents in cuffs.

"Nice."

"When you chase these people all your life you begin to remember things."

I laughed and helped her cuff the rest of the group. We led them to a black van where the Trumpeters that were guarding the door already sat. The wan pulled away and headed to Amanda's where they were going to be held until their trial.

"What took you so long?" I finally asked.

"I was taking a nap." Cat explained.

"Smooth."

"This is coming from someone who tripped over her two feet and got captured."

"Oh shut up! Wait, how did you know about that?"

"Lauren told me."

"Great...remind me to thank her."

Cat laughed and we headed back into the restaurant. Lauren and the other Low Wind agents were waiting for us. I smiled when Lauren held out my gun. I took it from her hands and put it back into my holster.

"Well I guess this cuts out visit short." Lauren said with a smile.

"Yeah but we better get back to Amanda's. She's going to want an explanation about why nine Trumpeters have just arrived on her door step."

We paid our bill and went back to Laurens limo. Cat said she would meet up with us later after she filled out her report. As we drove back to Amanda's palace Lauren spoke.

"I am curious to see how mad Amanda is going to be."

"You shouldn't. This is going to be scary." I said with a shudder, wondering how much trouble I was in.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

We arrived at Amanda's palace about an hour after the Trumpeters. This was plenty of time for the young Emperors to decide our fates and I was nervous. The limo pulled up to the front steps and we saw Mike and Amanda waiting for us. They were pissed to say the least. I looked at Lauren and saw that she was pale. I am sure I was the same.

"We are so dead…" She whispered to me as we got out of the limo.

"Evening King Mike, Empress Amanda. Do you think it is wise to be outside when your life is in danger?"

"Cut the act Cheryl. You two are in more danger if you talk. Please explain to me why nine Trumpeters have arrived at my door step an hour ago?"

I almost smiled but I knew better. I don't have a death wish, and with the look Amanda was giving me, she made me hope that I did.

"They were responsible of attacking the restaurant that we were at. They need to be on trail."

"Yes I understand that. But my palace?"

"Well it's the only place we can send them."

Very Well. The trial will take imminently."

"Like?"

"Tomorrow. I want them out of here by night fall."

"What! That isn't enough time!"

Amanda gave me the coldest glare ever.

"I mean, yes your Highness. Tomorrow sounds great." I replied with respect and a low bow.

I followed Mike and Amanda to the palace with my head low. Tomorrow wasn't enough time but I'm never going to say that to Amanda again. I don't need to see that look again.

Early the next morning we were awaken. The trial was going to take place at nine in the morning at the Clarinet Courthouse. I glared at my clock and sighed. It read 7:30AM. Jeez Amanda this is a little early, I thought mentally. I hope you're happy, I'm half awake and you want me to judge nine people, Trumpeters at that.

The group showered and dressed as quickly as possible. We met in the dinning room at eight in the morning. Amanda was already seated.

"Please come and join me."

We sat down in our seats and started to eat. I never was a morning person and this was no exception.

"We will be leaving at 8:45 for the courthouse. I want this trial to be done at eleven at the latest. Any questions."

"Jeez you really are Hitler's double." I muttered under my breath as I picked at my eggs.

The table got really quiet and Amanda looked at me. I blinked at her and the others. In all my life I have never said anything rude to Amanda and I was as surprised as the others.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing." I apologized quietly.

Corey and Andy then took that opportunity to start arguing over the last piece of toast. The argument ended up in a brawl of fists that they playfully smacked each other with…right. Mike just shook his head at their antics and continued to eat. I sighed and picked at my eggs again. This was going to be a very, very long day. I hope Mike brought enough Advil for me too.

"You know what?" I said suddenly.

The Group looked at me.

"The trial would go a lot faster if we trial them all at the same time."

"You're the judge." All Amanda said shrugging her shoulders.

I smiled for the first time that day. This was the best idea that I've come up with since the time we built those clarinets that go higher, except those are in the secret compartment for emergence use only. Mike ordered this because our eardrums almost popped.

"Let's get going." Amanda said standing up. "Guards! Bring the prisoners foreword. We are leaving!"

The clarinets followed her out of the palace and into one big limo. Well, on the inside it had enough room to fit nine clarinets comfortably, along with a TV and a mini-nonalcoholic bar. When we were all seated, Katie began the conversation.

"Well what do you think? It's our latest model."

"Does it travel under water?" Lauren asked looking around.

"Even better, it flies!"

"It flies!" The rest of us asked shocked.

"Well duh! We had to improve something."

"You two have way too much time on your hands." Andy said shaking his head.

"At least we do something!" Snapped Stephanie.

To our surprise, the two blushed and looked away.

"What are you two blushing about?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Well we have done something with our time." Corey explained quietly.

"What?"

He mumbled something under his breath. We looked at each other than him.

"Come again?"

"We are…um…holding a fashion show…" He said louder this time.

We blinked once, twice, and then a final third time before laughing.

"Are you two serious?"

The two nod.

Lauren leans over and says something in Andy's ear. He pulls out his walled and opens it up.

"Pictures!"

The wallet was passed around and we looked at the pictures. They were actually nice. It was a lot of African people dressed up in the boy's outfits.

"So this is why you two wanted Africa!"

At that moment the car stopped. We looked out the tinted windows to the large building next to us. There were three identical versions of this building one in America, in Europe, and one here. It was a tall and brown building decorated with the finest designs that were offered. Mike made the design, but he made the rest of us build it.

We walked out of the limo and started to head up the stars. Amanda suddenly stopped, causing the rest to do the same.

"You okay your Highness?" I asked concerned.

"Yes…" She looked over to her left and smiled. "Your late."

The rest of the group turned and looked at the figure that Amanda seemed to be smiling at. She was tall with wavy blond hair and green eyes. She wore a black uniform with a cursive 'C' and 'F' embroiders on it.

"Sorry." She said in a British accent. "Our flight was delayed."

"Look its Emily Ruff!" Called Lauren with a huge grin.

The flute player had enough time to smile at us before everyone trying to hug her knocked her down.

"Ack! I cant breath!"

"Oh…sorry about that." We mumbled as we clamored off of her.

We let go of her and allowed her to breath. Which took awhile since it was five clarinets tackling her at the same time.

"What brings you to Asia?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"I have business that matters with Amanda."

"What kind! What kind!" We asked jumping up and down.

Hey it was really early for us. We were tired and that made us hyper.

"The kind that doesn't involve energetic clarinets. Especially one that has a court case starting up soon." Amanda said stepping forward.

We all stopped jumping and I smiled sheepishly at the Queen. That was my cue and I used it. Imminently news reporters asking questions about what happened last night attacked me.

"Ms. Cheryl, what happened last night at the Sushi restaurant?" One asked, shoving their microphone in my face.

See what I mean?

"Excuse me, I need to get through." I said politely, pushing my way through the crowd of people who I sometimes find to be idiots.

"But we need to talk with you. The public has a right to know what happened last night."

"Um…look! There is the King and Queen!" I yelled making them turn their heads.

"Where?" They looked frantically around for the two.

I knew that they were still outside talking with Emily so I used this opportunity to escape to my room.

"Wait! Ms. Cheryl we still have to finish our interview!" They yelled when they noticed I was gone.

"Take a number!" I called back.

I opened the door to my judge's room and stepped in. I walked over to the closest and pulled the two wooden doors open. Inside was a long sleeved black robe. I quickly put in on and let the sleeves roll down my arms, and covers my hands. I call this my Mickey Mouse robe because it reminded me of the Fantasia movie, I love that outfit, after putting on the robe and gathered up my hair and put it into a tight bun. When I finished there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!'' I called as I sat down in my desk.

The door opened a small girl walked in. She had short curly brown hair and hazel eyes. Her outfit was a pair of blue jeans and a blue shirt. In her hands was a medium size box with blue wrapping paper on it. She looked at me shyly and placed the box on the edge of the desk.

"Can I help you?" I asked kindly.

"I have a present for you." The little girl explained in a shy whisper.

"What is the special occasion?" I asked smiling.

"For your latest capture."

She then gave me a polite bow and left the room. I had enough time to call out quick thanks before she was gone. I pulled the box towards me and looked at it.

"I wonder what it is…" I wondered out loud as I pulled the wrapping paper off.

Under that was a normal brown shoebox. I started to lift the lid when I heard a quiet clicking noise.

Suddenly the room was covered in a thick smoke that made my eyes water and my throat burn. I jumped up so fast that I knocked my chair down. Coughing I tried to made my way to the door.

That's when I realized the gas was making me sleepy. I fell to my knees, clutching my throat and coughing. In the background I heard another click and a voice. The voice started out to be a mean laugh before they actually spoke.

"Greetings Ms. Cheryl! I hope you like our little present for you. We are sick and tired of your little group and plan to get rid of you once and for all. This isn't the last time you will hear of the Soprano Clan! Sleep well…."

At the end of the message I blacked out. I was filled with thoughts like, who is the Soprano Clan, what is their plan, and where in the world did I park again…

Oh wait I didn't drive…


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

I was awaken an hour later by someone roughly shaking my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the face of a very concerned Katie Stone. Once she saw that I was awake she pushed back and allowed me to sit up.

"You okay? What happened?" She asked once I was stable.

"I don't know...all I remember was this little girl coming in here with a present for me. Once I opened the box I was surrounded by a thick fog of sleeping gas. Then a prerecorded message came on. Some group called the Soprano Clan..."

"I've never heard of such a group." Stoner said quietly.

"Well neither have I..."

"You think they're another group after Amanda?"

"No, I don't think any of the top world leaders are the targets of the group."

"Then who? Who else would be on the hit list?"

I looked up at her and smiled.

"Who else has the power to anger people?"

"You? But why?"

"I really don't know, but I am obligated to find out."

"Well that's going to have to wait. I was sent here by Amanda and Mike to find you. The trial was suppose to start an hour ago and you weren't there."

After cursing under my breath, I quickly jumped to my feet. Unfortunately this caused a huge wave of dizziness to wash over me. I clutched Katie's arm as I tried to steady myself.

"You take it easy young lady. You just woke up and I bet that gas is still affecting you." Katie said sternly as she held me.

"Yes mother...but I need to get to the trial. They're probably mad right now."

"Fine but I'm going to help you."

"I don't need help."

"Yes you do, oh stubborn one, so deal with it."

I sighed in defeat and she smiled at me. She began to help me down the hallway to another room. I took the opportunity to look at some of the walls as I passed. This courthouse had to be the most elegant of them all. It was furnished with dark red walls and clean tiled flooring. The walls also had photographs of famous world leaders. Why they are there is still a mystery to me, but Amanda insisted.

"Well here we are." Stoner voice called out, breaking my thoughts.

I looked up as she opened the two large brown doors in front of me. We walked into the courtroom to be face to face with the other clarinets.

"Cheryl! Where were you? Are you okay?" They all asked at once rushing to my side.

"I'm fine, I was attacked..."

"Explain." Mike said calmly.

I then explained about the little girl, and the box with the sleeping gas. When I told them about the message they all were shocked. They began to whisper excitingly to each other about this new development. By listening to them, I learned none of them have ever heard of this group. This was bad news because it was going to make it harder to figure the new enemies out. Finally Mike spoke to us all again.

"These are unfortunate developments. They will have to be addressed. But now is not the time, we have a trial to start. I hereby call an emergence meeting after the case to start this discussion, lets catch them before it gets out of hand."

We all bowed our heads with agreement to our King. He and Amanda turned and went to take their seats. I could see a small hint of fear in Amanda's eyes but she quickly covered it up with a look of pure power and elegance that only a true queen could produce. We followed them and each took our own seats.

The courtroom was separated into two parts. One half was for the general public. They were half full already with spectators and reporters. The other half was the place where all the action happens. There was a long table where the accused sat. Across from that was where we sat. It was a two-row arrangement. I sat in the middle on the lower level of the two. On my left sat Maria and the boys, and on my right were the girls, Lauren being the closest. Above us, in the two golden thrones, sat Mike and Amanda.

Once we were all seated, I raised a hand and waved it to the officer that was standing next to us on the floor. He gave me a bow and made his way over to the door on his left. He walked out with the nine Trumpeters that I catch yesterday. They were all wearing orange suites and were chained at the feet. They were then seated in the table in front of us. I then stood up and began to speak.

"Members of the Trumpeters, you are here today charged from the hostile attack on the sushi restaurant last night. You're aloud to have a lawyer to defend you, and yet you chose not. Is this information correct?"

The nine of them sat silently, glaring at me.

"Cheryl asked you a question." Andy said staring at them dangerously. "I think it would be wise to answer her."

Again, they remained silent.

"You are all being trailed here. So start answering my questions if you want to leave this courtroom actually alive." I threatened.

"Yes!" One finally yelled sarcastically. "We chose not to have a lawyer."

"See? Now was that so hard to do?" I asked sweetly, taking my seat. "This will quickly be done and over with if you just answer my questions honestly and quickly. Now lets begin."

"What's the point of being trailed if we're already guilty?" One asked suddenly. The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"This is not to see if your are innocent of your crime. It is to see why you did this, who may have sent you, and what we plan to do with you in the end." Maria explained calmly to them.

"So what privilege do we have to have all the Clarinet Leaders present?" The leader asked sarcastically.

We happen to be in the area trumpet slug." Snarled Stephanie. "But I would watch what you say. Nine clarinets deciding your fate are much worse that one or two. If I had it my way, you would be long gone."

"Well its not Stephanie. Now everyone please! This is a serious matter." I explained shaking my head.

"So why don't you all zip it so we can get this over with." Another called out.

The courtroom got quiet and everyone stared at me.

"We want to know who sent you and why. If you answer truthfully then maybe, just maybe, I will drop the charges and let you go free."

Again the room got quiet I could see the thoughtful looks on the Trumpeters faces. Some were actually considering my proposal. This was actually funny. Back when I first started to catch these idiots they wouldn't talk. It would take weeks of torture to make them tell me what I needed to know. But they were the most loyal ones, and we have them all captured.

"It was Dan Cornick." The teen spoke up suddenly.

"Traitor!" Hissed his comrades.

"Dan? But that doesn't make sense. The last time I checked Brian was the main leader. He was the one who gave out the orders and such." I thought out loud, clearly confused about the matter at hand.

"He use to be, but he got really sick lately. So Dan is taking over by orders of his brother...at least, that is what he tells us." The teen explained.

Lauren and I glanced at each other out of the corner of our eyes. She raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged slightly. Something about this sounded fishy and I was glad to see that she noticed it too. Corey spoke then.

"Why are you telling us this? Even if we are to drop your charges, this is the first time that a Trumpeter has told us anything. Even the ones that we sat in a room and questioned for days were much harder to get to tell us anything. And yet here you are."

Before the teen could open his mouth and explain him, the big person spoke first.

"You Clarinets have already captured some of our best men...and women." He added hastily looking the women who glared at him. "So we only have our newly trained people on the field. And they are too weak and scared to know not to talk."

"I am not weak. I just choose my life over death."

"You are just a little foolish boy!" One of the girls yelled suddenly at him. "Have you learned nothing from all of your training from us?"

"Defend and protect myself from any and all harm. Rule 26."

"Yes but that doesn't mean betraying you team mates." Another one countered glaring at him.

"Oh shut up! All of you!" I yelled slamming the mallet to the table.

Again, the room fell into a sudden silent as I started to rub my eyes. I took a deep breath and let it out in a loud sigh.

"You are all pathetic! I have never met such an annoying and loud group. The whole lots of you are giving me a huge headache. Whose stupid idea was it to have you all trailed at once anyways?"

Lauren leaned over and answered that one for me.

"It was your idea Cheryl."

"Oh..."

I could hear the others laugh softly at me and I smiled. I guess this loud mess was mine after all. I looked at the nine Trumpeters in front of. I wondered what I was going to do with them. Then my gaze stopped on the teenager. An idea came into my head and I smiled at Maria.

"I think I have come up with an idea of what to do with them all." I whispered to her.

"Really? What idea is that?"

I smiled to her slyly and stood up. A last time the room fell into a silence that was almost unnerving. Yet, it was completely understandable of why they were. Everyone knew that I have come up with my decision to the matter. In addition, what an idea I had too.

"By looking at all of the evidence," I started. "I have decided what is to happen with these trailed Trumpeters. I want those eight taken back to the cell, you are all guilty. I also want the teenager to stay here."

There was uproar from the Trumpeters as they were removed from the room. I then sent the crowd out too, leaving the nine clarinets and the Trumpeter alone. I smiled and sat down.

" What do you want with me?" The boy asked nervously.

" I am not going to hurt you. Like I promised, the moment we're done, you're free to go."

" Cheryl?" The others exclaimed.

" I want to ask you some questions. The faster you give me answers the faster you can leave." I said ignoring the others.

" Okay, just don't kill me..."

"I would never! What gave you that idea?"

" That is what they say at the Trumpeters place. The clarinet player Cheryl kills the captured Trumpeters."

" None are dead, they just stay locked up in my cells around the world. In fact, as soon as one is to die, I release them so they may die in peace. I can't kill them, that would make me as barbaric as the Trumpeters." I said with a reassuring smile.

" Okay, what do you want to know?"

" Why are you a Trumpeter?"

" I wanted some adventure."

The others rolled their eyes at this.

" Where were you trained?"

" I started in Russia and then moved to South Africa."

" Who trained you?"

" Braden and Amy."

" Who is the Soprano Clan?"

" I've never heard of them."

" You sure?"

" Yeah..."

"Alright, what is the Trumpeters plan?"

" Well I've heard rumors that the assassination attempt on your Queen was to throw you off."

" Meaning?"

" They plan to go big, like knocking out all of you at once."

" Good luck at that...Finally, where are the Cornick brothers located?"

" Canada."

" What?"

" They are in Canada last time I heard..."

I looked at Lauren in surprise.

" I never knew that!"

" Me neither..." She said with equal surprise.

" Cheryl," Mike called out. "Address this matter at once."

" Yes my King, they will be captured.

I waved my hand.

" Release him, but boy hear me out, so help me of you ever go back to them. Because your next trial will not be so friendly."

" Okay!" He said, his voice cracking. "I understand."

" The Trumpeters are mine!" I declared grinning.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

I stared out at the doors that the teenager just went through. My head was spinning with information. I knew that he spoke the truth it was in his eyes. So now, I knew what was going on, and what I had to do. However, the fact that the two people that I've spent so much time and energy chasing down were actually right under my nose. So now I had to plan some form of action to retrieve them but.

"Cheryl? Cheryl!" I heard Mike calling.

"What? What's up?" I asked looking around. The others laughed lightly.

"Look we know you want to get out there and capture the two but we have other things to attend to." Amanda reminded me.

"I know, but it's just so weird. I have looked in Asia, Africa, and even South America for the two. Yet I never thought they would be this close to me, in Flute territory at that...on that same note, where's Emily?"

"She went home after delivering some information to me."

"But we still need to handle this Soprano Clan. Lets head back to the palace and see what we can find out." Suggested Mike.

We all agreed and made our way outside. It was there I started to get this feeling that we were being watched. I stopped and glanced around for something, anything, out of the ordinary.

"Hey, you okay?" Asked Katie as she rested her hand on my shoulder.

"Don't act suspicious or anything but I think we're being watched." I whispered barley moving my lips or looking at her.

"I'll get Amanda and Mike to the limo right away." She said before making her way over to them.

I watched as she brushed past the two and explained what was the matter. They then made their way a little faster to the limo. I stayed in my spot and looked around. My hand went to rest on my revolver before I realized that I was still wearing my judge's cloak. I mentally cursed myself for being so careless. If I were to be attacked then I would be defend less. I then saw what I wanted. It was a glitch of light on one of the nearby buildings. I saw a cloaked figured with a sniper up there. The sniper was aimed the three leaders. I took off in a run towards them. I was in better shape than I was when I still went to school.

"Hit the deck!" I yelled grabbing onto Amanda and dragging her to the ground.

Corey and Andy did the same to Mike, Maria, and the girls ducked.

Then a moment later there was a sound of breaking glass as a bullet went through the window of the limo. Glass went everywhere covering us.

"Get into the car! Quickly!" I shouted, pushing Amanda towards there.

The others scrambled to the limo and jumped in. I closed the door just as another shot went by. The driver, in so much fear that he probably wet himself, sped away from the courthouse. All of us were ducking and I was already on the phone to Cat.

"Cat we have a code red here, I repeat a code red." I said calmly, despite all that was happening.

"Roger that Cheryl." Cat's voice boomed out of the cell phone. "Anyone hurt?"

I took a moment to look at the others.

"No everyone's fine. I want you to send some men here. I want some evidence."

"All right. Get your self to a safe place right away." She said before hanging up.

"Driver!" Snapped Mike. "Get us out of here!"

The driver did not have to be told twice as the car went faster. I turned my head to look out the broken window as the car sped away. Things were happening too fast lately. I have to capture the remaining Trumpeters and now deal with this Soprano Clan. What are they after exactly? Is it the world's highest leaders like most people, or is it worse? Am I the only one that they want? Moreover, if that is the case, why? I shivered at the thought. I need to figure out things before they get out of hand. I closed my eyes. Life use to be so easy sometimes.

I was standing in the front of the room. The others were watching me closely. I could feel it, but I was not looking. Instead, my head was down and my hands were rested on the table. I was in deep thought.

"I think the attacker was a Soprano Clan member." I started saying.

"What are they after? Amanda?" Andy asked.

"No.I don't think so..."

"Then who? The other leaders?"

"Cheryl, do you still believe in your thoughts from earlier?" Katie asked quietly.

I did not answer her right away. I took a slow breath in and let it out in a low sigh.

"I don't think this group has any desire to hurt those three." I said waving to Mike, Amanda, and Maria.

"Then who?"

I looked up and started seriously at them.

"The only person who has any power over the law."

They did not say anything. Actually, I was not expecting an answer for it. We had a very new problem to handle. This is the first time that I was in danger...

"What do we do?" Whispered Stephanie.

"Only thing we can at times like these."

"Scream like a little girl and hide?" Asked Andy.

The room got quiet as we stared at the General. He was trying to balance a pen on his nose. When he noticed we were shearing he stopped and stared back.

"What" He asked confused, putting the pen on the table.

"Andy you truly are a dork." I said shaking my head.

Katie and Stephanie laughed at that. He glared at us and looked away.

"No Andy that's what you do." Mike said laughing.

"But seriously what should we do?" Asked Amanda.

"Well we still don't know much of this group." I started looking around. "Since we practically know where the Trumpeters are, lets deal with this new group. Katie, Stephanie, I want you two to find all information you can about the Soprano Clan. There has to be something.

"All right. They said nodding their heads.

"Lauren and I will discuss our plan with the Trumpeters. Everyone else should rest."

They all agreed and stood up to leave. I watched as the last person left the room and sighed.

"Remember the good old days when we weren't in danger, and the only thing we cared about was surviving the next winter guard practice or getting a boyfriend?" Asked Lauren from her spot.

I laughed and nodded my head. "Yeah, life stopped being normal when we first built the Clarinet Tower."

"Yeah, do you miss it?"

"No."

"Me neither."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Lauren and I have already spent two hours sitting in the same conference room as stated earlier. She sat in her chair and I on the table in front of her. In between us were books, maps, and information spread out all over the place. I had my laptop in my lap and was hunched over it reading it. So much information to go through and so little time.

"Hey! Lets stay at this hotel, they have a great Canadian Restaurant with some great food on its menu." Lauren said suddenly she held up the pamphlet she was looking at.

I looked up from my screen at the grinning woman in front of me. All I could do was shake my head at her antics.

"Lauren, normally I would love to go. However, we are on this important mission. We're trying to find the location of the Trumpeters, not some silly restaurant!"

"Sorry! Jeez, I'm hungry and we haven't eaten since this morning."

And, as if to prove her point, both of our stomachs gave a loud rumble. I smiled sheepishly at her.

"Where was that restaurant again?"

She laughed as she handed the pamphlet to me. I looked at the place closely and then when back to work.

"So how do you propose we approach this situation?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Well First we enter the restaurant and be seated. Then we look over the menu and order what we think is best. Then, after waiting awhile, we eat the food. That will take a while, especially for me, and finally we go and pay the bill before leaving. Yeah." Lauren said nodding her head.

I looked at her again and laughed.

"I meant how do we approach capturing the Cornick Brothers stupid. Jeez, get your head out of your stomach."

She stuck her tongue out at me and shrugged.

"I don't know. Lets play that by ear." She suggested, but I shook my head.

"We would easily be caught with a plan like that.

"Good point."

We got quiet again and she turned her head back to the pamphlet. I sighed and looked back at my screen. I did a search on all the Canadian Government Sites for information of the Cornick brothers or the Trumpeters, but all results came back blank. I sighed softly before an idea came suddenly to my head.

"That's it!" I yelled as I slammed the laptop closed.

The sudden noise made Lauren jump and fall out of her chair. She hit the ground with a loud thud and groaned loudly. I looked down at her and laughed.

"Sorry about that." I apologized sheepishly.

She glared up at me and got back in her seat.

"So what's your brilliant idea?" She asked when she was seated.

"Getting caught." I said simply, as if it was easiest thing in the world.

She just stared at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Its simple. We go into the area with just a handful of people and search for them. Make lost of noise and announce our presence. Then everyone heads back while I stay there. I then allow myself to be caught and send a signal out. The others can come and catch me, and we use that moment to catch the brothers."

Lauren was quiet as I finished my plan. She stared at me with her zoned out look.

"That actually might work."

I smiled.

"It will work." I said confidently.

She raised her eyebrow at me again. I could only grin, like the stupid ditz I was, and went back to my screen.

"Aren't we arrogant?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well you love me for it."

"Whatever."

"Do you agree with it then?"

"I do, but Amanda and Mike are going to freak out when they hear it."

"Probably."

Lauren shook her head and I smiled. We went back to our information looking for something new or helpful. I glanced at the clock and winched. Lauren looked over at me when I sighed loudly.

"What's wrong?" She asked tilting her head.

"Do you realize that we have been in this room for the last three hours?" I asked tiredly.

"No kidding." She whispered and shook her head. "That's way too long, even for me."

"Totally. Lets use with what we have and bring it up to the others."

I closed the laptop, letting it make a soft click, and jumped off the table.

"But Cheryl, we don't have anything." Lauren reminded me.

"Then we BS the whole thing. I just want to get out of her."

Lauren agreed on that and she stood up. Stretching and making loud groans and moans, we left the room and headed down the hallway.

"So where are Mike and Amanda?" I asked looking around.

"Good question."

We walked up to the closest door and knocked. There was a clicks someone unlocked the door. Stephanie Brooks poked her head out at looked at us. She smiled when she realized who it was.

"Hello Cheryl, what can I do for you?" She asked cheerfully.

"Do you have any information on the Soprano Clan?"

"Yeah we have something. However, all of it is in codes and these weird symbols. It's going to take us a while to decipher them all."

"Alright, take your time. By the way, do you know where Mike and Amanda are?"

"Last I heard they were with Maria in the Entertainment Room. But that was an hour ago."

"Its better than nothing. Thanks Steph."

"No problem."

She gave us a large smile and closed the door again. Lauren and I turned and continued our way down the hallway. We finally stopped in front of a pair of doors. Engraved on a metal plate next to the door was the name Entertainment Room. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

The first thing I noticed when we walked in was that the whole room was dark, I could hear music coming from some where and there was a soft glow from the TV in the corner. We walked up to the couch and smiled. Sitting on the couch, totally engrossed with the movie they were watching, was the three top leaders. In the middle was Amanda, and she had a bowl of popcorn in her lap. On her left holding the remote in his hands, was Mike. And to her right was Maria, who was laughing at the TV.

"So why are you three watching the 2003 band video?" I asked loudly.

The three of them jumped at the sudden noise and turned around. When he noticed who it was, Mike glared at us as he pushed the pause button on the remote.

"You know, it's not nice to sneak up on someone. Especially someone who has the power to kick your butt in jail." He threatened.

I smiled at him and said smugly, "You cant do that. I am the law."

"Watch us Cheryl." Amanda said with a smirk.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa!" Maria said holding her hands up. "Before the four of you kill each other, lets hear what you have to say."

I opened my mouth to explain but then closed it again. A confused look appeared on my face as I turned and looked at Lauren.

"Why are we here again?" I asked curiously.

She smacked her forehead and shook her head.

"We're here to tell them about our plan on catching the Cornick Brothers." She reminded me.

"Oh yeah!" I said cheerfully.

"Cheryl, you are too much." Amanda said, whipping away an imaginary tear. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Tie her up and send her to the circus?" Lauren asked in a hopeful voice.

"Only if you come with me." I said in a singsong voice.

"Hell no!"

Mike cleared his throat and we smiled sheepishly at him. We walked around the couch so that we were standing in between the couch and the TV. I spoke first.

"Your Royal Highness. We have come up with a way to defeat the Cornick Brothers!" I announced striking a pose. I was standing with my legs apart and my arm out stretched to the ceiling. Lauren made the same pose.

"I thought we were only catching them." Lauren said looking over at me.

I broke the pose and put my hands on my hips. Lauren did the same.

"We are, but defeating the Enemy sounds cooler. Don't you think?"

"Well your way of thinking is weird." She said crossing her arms across her chest.

"So, I'm still better than you." I said turning my back to her.

"Oh whatever." She replied, flicking her hand at me.

I turned my head and stuck my tongue out at her. She turned and did the same.

"Will you two knock it off and continue with the plan." Mike finally snapped at us.

"Or at least start it." Amanda reminded us with a smile.

"You two and your senseless bickering." Maria said with a laugh.

"Its not senseless." I complained.

"That's because you're senseless." Lauren joked.

"Oh be quiet you." I snapped, sticking my tongue out at her again.

"Ladies." Mike warned.

We jumped and smiled sheepishly at him.

"Yes sir." We said politely.

"Just begin already." Mike said rubbing his temples.

"Right-O..." I paused again and looked at Lauren. "Why are we here again?"

"The plan!" All four of them yelled at me.

"Of right!"

Lauren smacked her head again and the others sighed loudly.

"Okay, this is what we have so far. First I shall take a small regiment of Clarinet Agents to Canada..."

"The last know place of the Trumpeters and their hideout." Lauren put in.

"Right. Then something happens here..."

"As in Europe." Lauren explained.

"Yeah...um...oh Yeah! And after all of the agents have left I go off on my own and."

"Hopefully." Lauren threw in.

"Do you mind?" I finally said irritated. I turned and glared at her.

"Sorry, just filling in some of the information."

"Yeah well your giving me a headache."

"You are a headache."

"Same to you."

"Ladies." Mike warned again, while the others laughed.

"Then, hopefully, I get caught by a Trumpeter and taken to their base..."

"Where the Cornick Brothers are located." Lauren added.

"Lauren!"

"Continue!" Mike and Amanda yelled over us.

"When I get caught." I said loudly, to drone out Lauren. "I will send out a signal to where I'm located..."

"And in comes the Calvary!" Lauren called out before jumping behind the couch. She appeared behind the leaders and offered me a grin. I rolled my eyes at her and turned to the leaders.

"So that's my plan. What do you think?"

The three of them stared at me with wide gapping mouths. Lauren raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. Finally Amanda spoke.

"That is by far the most outrageous plan you have ever come up with." She said angrily.

"What about the time I suggested we bring disco back?" I asked with a smile.

"This is no laughing matter Cheryl." Mike reminded me sternly. "So many things can go wrong with that plan."

"But..."

"Its too dangerous." Mike put in. "I forbid you to use it."

"But..."

"Don't whine Cheryl. I have to agree with Mike and Amanda." Maria said softly.

"Very well. I shall go and think of a new plan." I said in a defeated voice.

Bowing low to them, I turned and left the room. I could see the sad expression on Laurens face, but I ignored it.

Oh well, back to the drawing board I guess.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Leaving the room I released the breath of air I didn't realize I was holding. The meeting went worse that I would have thought it would have gone. I knew our plan had some major loop wholes in it but we didn't have the time to finalize it. And those three shot it down before we could truly take it anywhere. It just wasn't fair.

"How frustrating." I muttered before smacking me head against the nearest wall. "Ouch, that hurt."

"Well what did you expect?" A voice behind me asked. I smiled at that.

"Hey Stoner." I said as I turned around to the other clarinetist.

"Hey Cheryl. What's the matter? You look pretty down in the dumps." The young woman asked with a concern look on her face.

"The meeting didn't go so well." I told her as I nudged my head towards the room I had just left.

"I'm sorry."

"They didn't like my plan to capture the Cornick Brothers."

"Really!" She cried, looking completely surprise at this. "Must have been really bad if they turned it down. The last bad plan you had was the time you thought it would have been great to bring back Disco."

"I know!"

"So what was the plan?"

I leaned against the wall behind me and told her exactly what I had said to the three leaders earlier, minus Lauren's interruptions of course. When I had finished she was staring at a blank look and me with wide eyes on her face.

"That's basically it." I finally finished off.

"Cheryl, that has to be the WORST plan I have EVER heard you come up with." Katie yelled at me once she was able to get her voice back. "What were you thinking?"

"It just had a couple of loop wholes in it." I muttered as I looked away from her.

"A few?" She cried sharply. "Cheryl!"

I smiled at her whine and turned back to her. She had her hands on her hips and was staring at me accusingly. I laughed softly.

"Okay, maybe it was a little out there but it was the best the two of us could come up with at such short notice." I said with a large smile on my face.

Katie laughed at this and shook her head. "Cheryl you are one of a kind."

"Yes and a good thing too. Can you just imagine more of me running around this place?"

"I try not to. It's a scary though. Besides, one of you is enough to keep those three leaders of ours on their toes."

"Thanks a lot Stoner." I muttered sarcastically. "So what's the real reason for being here?"

"Besides teasing you to no end?" She asked innocently and I rolled my eyes. "I wanted to show you the new invention we just completed."

"Really? Wow, you're actually done and want to show me? That's great! Let's go!" I yell out excitingly.

The two of us turned and left the hallway to make our way back to where Stephanie and hers lab was. It was on the other side of the tower because that allowed them to work without any of us complaining about noise or smells. As we walked Katie started talking again.

"Now just to warn you, this is still in the developing stage and we don't know if it will work all that well yet." She told me as we arrived at the door.

The door was a strong metal plate with a key pad on the side. Katie turned to the key pad and punched in her six digit code that allowed her to enter any of the rooms. The door opened with a swishing sound and the two of us entered. I looked around for anything new, but all I saw was the typical test tubes and electrical mechanical stuff that was normal for the lab. I noticed nothing out of the ordinary that would have Katie dragging me here to see.

"Where is this grand invention?" I asked, looking around again.

"It's in the center of the room." Katie said proudly as she watched me walk in that direction.

"I don't see anything in the center of the room." I complained to her.

"You have to get closer to see it." She told me with a smirk on her face. "Trust me Cheryl; you will love what you will see."

Sighing, I made my way over to the spot she pointed to. In the middle of the room there was a large open space that was lit up brightly to an almost gleaming level. I headed towards that spot, my eyes looking around for anything that was out of the ordinary. Suddenly I ran into a large solid object and fell back on my butt in surprise. Looking at what I hit I was amazed to see that nothing was there. The area was completely blank. Standing up I turned back to Katie to get her reaction. She just smiled at me and motioned with her hands for me to continue. Reaching out a hand I attentively reached out in front of me. My hand brushed against a solid object and I gasped in surprise, seeing as my hand seemingly rested on nothing.

"This is incredible!" I cried out in shock to her.

She smiled smugly at me and walked over to one of the computers. Typing something in there was a soft buzz before silver Mercedes appeared in front of me, my hand resting on the door. The car was small and had no roof to it, but it obviously was powerful. I gasped in excitement.

"Invisibility!"

"Yes this is the first car that we got it to work for." She explained as she walked towards me. "We just finished up the last of the kinks today and I thought that maybe you would like to be the first one to go for a test drive. And I can also show you more of its features."

"Really?" I asked, my face taking on the look of a child who was told Christmas was coming early this year.

"Sure," She replied with a laugh. "And if you are real good I'll even let you drive it home."

"Really? Awesome!" I cried excitingly. Grabbing her hand I quickly dragged her to her side of the car as I ran around to jump in the passenger's seat. Laughing she got in her seat and started up the car when I noticed something that was going to put a damper on our drive.

"Um Stoner, how are we going to get out of here? We are on the second floor and in the middle of the tower." I looked at her curiously.

"We don't need roads where we're going." She told me as she pulled a pair of sunglasses out and put them on. Reaching towards the dash she pressed a red button and sat back. The car gave a loud rumble as it shook and slowly rose of the ground.

"It can fly?"

"Yeah, added feature." Katie told me with a smirk.

"Katie you and Stephanie are amazing!"

"Why thank you Cheryl." Katie replied with a smile as she started to press buttons. "Ladies and Gentlemen this is your captain speaking. I want thank you for joining us today for this demonstration. Please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and enjoy the flight."

At this moment the roof and wall in front of us slowly opened up. Katie brought the car into the air and gracefully drove it out of the large opening. Soon we were out and flying around in the bright blue sky. It was interesting, we could see everything outside though the car window, and the inside of the car at the same time. Outside a person wouldn't be able to see anything.

"This is absolutely amazing!" I told Katie as I looked out the window at the passing birds. "You and Stephanie really outdid yourselves this time."

"Well it's only a prototype, but we think it's a hit." Katie explained as she looked at the dashboard. "Would you like one?"

"Really? Totally! I'll take this one if it's ready." I told her ecstatically.

"That's great to hear that you really like it. I'll show you more than."

"There's more?"

"Yeah tons more." Katie smiled at my excitement. Reaching towards the dashboard she began to press various buttons as she explained them.

"This one brings up your radar, and this one allows you to put in coordinates on your radar. The blue one here leads to headquarters if something is amiss and the car is stuck somewhere, or if your lost. This compartment has tracking devices and snakes and drinks, a spot here for the holding your gun, and a CD player."

"All of that are necessities."

Katie laughed and started to point to other things. I was listening but something caught my eye outside of the car. Turning my head I held up a hand to silence my friend as I looked around.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked, noticing the serious expression on my face.

"I saw something shinny over there." I told her pointing.

'It was probably a lake or something." She reassured me.

"No what I saw was defiantly metallic. It was also very large. We need to check it out."

"What?"

"Bring the car over in that direction." I told her pointing west. "If it's nothing than I apologize but still…"

"We need to check it out." Katie finished for me. "All right, I'll bring the car around."

The two of us were quiet as we drove our invisible car towards the metallic object I saw shinning earlier. Looking at Katie I could tell that she was very tense and scared about the whole thing.

"Don't worry Stoner, your probably right and its nothing." I told her with a grin.

"I'm fine," She said as calmly as she could but I could tell she was lying.

"Come on, it will be great."

"Speak for yourself." She snapped and looked away. "You live for this excitement. I use to but now I rather be working on more inventions."

"If it's anything we won't attack. I just need to see what it is and decide the best approach."

Katie didn't respond as she drove the car closer. I leaned out the window and squinted my eyes as I looked around. A bright and out of place flash happened suddenly and I pulled my head back in the car.

"Okay takes the car over there." I told her pointing.

"What do you think it is?" She asked me.

"Well it could be a small base of the Trumpeters or a base of the Soprano Clan or it could just be some metal satellite."

"A satellite that big?" Katie asked nervously."

I followed her gaze down and gasped in surprise. It was a large satellite, that was connected to the top of a huge fortress there were guard towards all around and a large complex in the middle. Who ever this belonged to wanted something down there to stay a secret. Now the only question was…

"So is this a Trumpeter or a Soprano Clan place?" Katie asked my unspoken question.

"I don't know, we need to get closer."

"Um, cant."

"Why not!" I snapped at her.

"We are out of gas." She told me with a sigh as she pointed to the gas gauge. "The first thing to go will be the invisibility."

Right as she said that a red bulb on the dashboard began flashing red. Katie swore loudly, something I have never heard before, and quickly began to turn the car around. Pushing buttons and looking at dials she groaned loudly.

"Oh no, we only have two minutes before we become visible again." She told me.

"Katie, did you just swore?" I asked the only thing on my mind.

"Cheryl, is this really the time for that?" She snapped at me. "We are minutes away from falling in the hands of an enemy and all you care about is me cussing?"

"But I've never heard you swore before." I told her. "It was a surprise."

Katie sighed again and drove the car away from the large dome fortress. I looked back and was able to see a glimmer of one of the towers and the banner that flew on the top. I smiled suddenly at what I read and turned around with a pleased look on my face. Katie brought the3 car down and drove through the trees so that it blocked our view. I soft buzzer went off and she sighed.

"We just lost our invisibility." She told me.

"How long until we stall and are stuck." I asked concern.

"Oh don't worry about that." Katie reassured me. "We have enough gas to make it back to the tower."

"Than lead the way Stoner, lead the way."

Katie looked at me curiously for a moment and nodded her head. "You know who that thing belong to don't you?"

I smiled at her and didn't say anything. Sighing in frustration she drove us back to our base. The rise was silent and I used the time to think of a plan to infiltrate the base that I have just seen. I was going to need a full group effort on this one if I wanted it to run smoothly. Katie and Stephanie's technology, Andy and Corey's military help and Laurens assistance. But most importantly I needed mike and Amanda's approval before I did anything. Maybe I should talk with Maria first. If she agrees with me than the others would easily follow suite.

"We're back." Katie told me, breaking my thoughts.

I jumped at the sound of her voice and looked around. Sure enough went were in the surroundings of the girl's lab equipment. Katie smiled at me and got out of the car to stretch. I followed her example and raised my arms in the air.

"Well I better get going Katie." I told her with a smile. "I will see you at dinner."

Katie nodded to me and made her way back to the car and began to work on it. I watched for a moment before I stepped out of the room and began walking. The first person I bumped into was Maria. The Queen of England smiled at me and offered a greeting.

"Cheryl, how are you?" She asked me with a grin.

"Good, good. But we need to talk."

"What's the matter?" She asked me in concern.

"I know the whereabouts of the Soprano Clan's headquarters."


End file.
